The Biggest Surprise I Came Across While Hiking This Incredible Trail in Wisconsin

Perrot State Park spans more than 1,250 acres along the soaring Mississippi River bluffs northwest of Trempealeau, Wisconsin. The park was established in 1918 after John A. Latsch, a wealthy businessman from Winona, Minnesota, donated more than 1,000 acres to the state. Latsch was an avid outdoorsman who believed that the public should have access to as much of the ruggedly beautiful Driftless Area as possible....

...I went to Perrot State Park with the expectation of hiking the moderately challenging, 3.1-mile Brady`s Bluff and Riverview Trail Loop to experience these features of the park. I was surprised, however, to learn just how much more significant history is packed into Perrot`s relatively small acreage. Along the Riverview Trail section of the hike, for example, you`ll find several effigy and conical mounds built by Woodland peoples more than 1,000 years ago. People from this culture also used the park`s unique rock formations as shelter from the elements. A sandstone shelter located along the Black Walnut Nature Trail, which you can access from the Riverview Trail near the park`s nature center, is one such example. Researchers speculate that this shelter was large enough to house a family during winter...